So we're in Jude, and I want to just read verse
21. Keep yourselves in the love of
God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal
life. I've chosen to delay our return
to Galatians for another week in order to give an airing to
the little verse chosen by our friend and sister Mary Rowe as
the reading at her graveside. And I think it was a fine choice
for a closing testimony to our sister's life. And for many reasons,
no doubt, not least because it supplied some beautiful gospel
themes to be set before those who were present, especially
those who were unsaved her carers, her neighbours that attended,
and it referred, as it does in that verse, to the love of God,
to the mercy that we need from Christ, and to the prospect of
eternity. So these were fine themes to
present before unbelievers. and Mary succeeded in doing that
just by drawing our attention to this verse. But for our purposes
today, I want us to realise and note that Jude did not write
these words to unbelievers, except insofar as we all can say, and
sometimes with tears, Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief. But Jude makes it quite clear
at the beginning of this little epistle that he is writing to
the saints of God. Men and women set apart in the
covenant of peace, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved
in Jesus Christ and called. That's what he says in verse
one. So he's writing to the elect. And I just want to pause for
a moment on that note and say this. When we as believers read
the scriptures, and when we're enabled to understand by faith
that they are primarily written for us, the Lord's elect, the
Lord's covenant people, then the word of God will take on
a more personal and helpful and applicable significance for us. what's sometimes called an experimental
significance. Because we will realise that
the scriptures aren't a study manual. They're a love letter
from Christ to his bride to help us and comfort us and bless us
and sustain us in our earthly journey home. and it's addressed
to us to ease and to sustain our Christian experience. The
scriptures in that sense should be seen as enabling, to be seen
as a tool, a help, in order to support us through our experiences
in this world. So let us, as saints of God,
as those preserved in Jesus Christ and called forth to everlasting
life by quickening power from the Holy Spirit, let us read
this little verse, verse 21 in Jude, together with the whole
of Scripture, and take it personally. and enjoy its sweetness as a
comfort to encourage our souls. Keep yourselves in the love of
God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal
life. And I just want us to think for
a moment that Mary is speaking to us in this verse, having said
that this was the verse that she wanted to be read over her
casket, over her dead body as it lay there in her grave. She would have her brothers and
sisters consider this verse. So she's telling us to keep ourselves
in the love of God. Now I tell you with some certainty
that Mary knew that no one has the natural power or even a natural
desire to keep themselves in the love of God. The love of God and staying and
continuing in the love of God does not depend on anything that
can be done by us, even as believers. And actually, in truth, in that
sense, once received, there's no danger of real believers falling
away from the love of God or losing it. because it's unchangeable
and it is from everlasting to everlasting. Nevertheless, there
is a sense in which we are encouraged for our spiritual comfort and
our spiritual wellbeing to keep the love of God before our eyes,
to retain it in our thoughts, to settle our attention upon
it, and keep a firm hold of it when temptations and doubts and
trials come upon us. There's a pragmatic, there's
a practical aspect of these doctrines becoming useful, helpful, supportive,
and lively in our experience. The Lord's people keep themselves
in the love of God when purposefully and regularly they dwell on the
love of God as a grace and a blessing from the Lord to his people.
Now we read that God is love. And God's love is the great motivating
power for God's grace and salvation towards his people. God is gracious
and kind and gentle and long-suffering because he loves us. And we do
well to trace every blessing and every good gift backward
and upward to the love of God towards us in Christ. And I say
in Christ because Paul tells us, God commendeth his love toward
us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. For the love of God, our Lord
Jesus Christ undertook a substitutionary death for us. For the love of
God, his humanity was taken. His humiliation was endured. His suffering and shame and death
was willingly accepted. That God's love might be revealed
to us and experienced by us and ultimately might unite us to
him as his own body and bride for eternal ages. And we can
do no better than keep the love of God in Christ constantly in
view. Meditate on it and by faith rejoice
and draw comfort from our interest in it. Mary would have us all
keep ourselves in the love of God. But there's more. She would also have us to be
looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, it is
true that we only require mercy when we have a need. The word
mercy carries in its meaning the sense of a need for help
and a giving of thanks for that help. and both are very appropriate
as far as sinners are concerned. Christ's mercy was first manifested
in his covenant engagements for us. When in eternity, he looked
on our fallen, helpless state and he felt pity towards us in
our need. In mercy, he called us to live
and enabled us to do so by the power of his word. In time, in our weakness, when
we needed help and salvation, The Lord Jesus Christ's mercy
again was evident. He became surety for all our
debts and obligations. He showed us that we cannot please
God by ourselves, that we cannot satisfy his demands or even exercise
faith. so that he as a helper and deliverer
must come, must be found to do for us what we cannot do for
ourselves, Christ's mercy. But there's still more even than
that because mercy for all its wonder at the cross and all of
its enabling power in conversion is not a once or twice gift. But it's a day-by-day divine
response to our cries for help and our requests in times of
need. Give us this day our daily bread. Give us this day our daily bread. You know, people used to be much
poorer than they are now. and a need for daily bread would
be a very real thing, and I suppose it still is for some. But God
forbid that we become so rich and self-sufficient that we do
not need God's daily mercies. God's providence is his daily
dealings with his people. and it is all of mercy and it
is all of love. So let us look for God's mercy
in every situation in life, for it's there. And let us thank
the Lord for his kindness and care to us every day. It's a wise man and a wise woman
who thanks God both for mercies received and troubles averted. And after a long life full of
many mistakes and much suffering and loss, Mary understood this. So she reminded her brothers
and sisters to be always looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus
Christ. So our joy may be full in his
goodness and our thanksgiving suitably sincere. And then finally,
Mary would have us contemplate eternity. And I suspect this
was particular in her mind in the final weeks of her life,
and perhaps it is a reason why the final testimony of a saint
is often a precious thing. Maybe our views of heaven become
stronger and clearer and more vivid as we draw closer to glory. Perhaps it is that as the people
and places and responsibilities of this world and this life fade
in the closing weeks and days our views of Christ become clearer
as he whispers encouragements to our soul and ministers to
us in our weaknesses. It's a good thought. Perhaps
we see angels on Jacob's ladder ascending and descending as our
souls are gathered from one realm on earth into the presence of
our Saviour. Eternal life is God's promise. Heavenly mansions are a believer's
proper place. A believer's proper place. Fellowship with Christ is our
everlasting inheritance. And let me say this too. Jude
wrote these words many years ago. They were inspired by the
Holy Ghost for our instruction and for our comfort. And Mary's
testimony, her final testimony in repeating this little verse
to us and drawing our attention to the love of God and the mercy
of Christ and our eternal inheritance of glory and joy. is a simple
testimony of faith and witness to what she had learned in her
long life to be of true and lasting value. There are many things
take our time and attention. Legitimately so. There's work
to be done. There's responsibilities to fulfill. And yet the Lord's people find
strength and sweetness in this life by following this pattern
and the example of those who have gone before. So for my part, I shall, as a
preacher of the gospel, endeavour to place these great themes of
the Father's love and Christ's mercy and the blessed promises
of eternal life before you as often as I can because these
are the truths that help us and comfort us and enable us to serve
our Saviour as long as our life in this world continues. Someday
it will be you and me, who are being laid to rest in a dark
place, awaiting the promised resurrection. Until then, let
us heed the wisdom of ages, and whatsoever things are true, whatsoever
things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things
are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are
of good report. If there be any virtue, and if
there be any praise, let us think on these things. Amen.